[The biological activity of the transfer factor induced by bacterial antigens]. / Biolohichna aktyvnist' faktora perenosu, indukovanoho bakterial'nymy antyhenamy.

Today's statement of transfer factor, an immunostimulator derived from leukocytes which enhances antiinfectious immunity, is observed in the review. Basic biological, physical and chemical characteristics of the transfer factor, its possible action mechanisms, and laboratory and clinical methods of use to cure infectious fungal (Candida, Coccidium), invasive (schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, cryptosporidiosis), viral (varicella zoster, ophthalmic herpes, Herpes simplex types 1 and 2, H. zoster, H. simplex ceratitis, genital herpes, human herpes virus type 6, postherpetic neuritis, hepatitis B, AIDS), and bacterial infections (Mycobacterium leprae, M. tuberculosis, M. fortuitum, Salmonella cholerae suis, S. dublin, S. Virchov, Brucella abortus, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, bacterial sepsis, Staphylococcus) are described.

Adelantos terapéuticos en lepra / Progress in leprosy therapeutic

Se comentan los recientes aportes terapéuticos, dividiéndose el trabajo en los siguientes capítulos: I)Resistencia bacteriana a los diversos fármacos, en especial a la D.D.S. en su forma secundaria, así como la primaria. Dosis a emplear con la monoterapia. Causas de aparición de la resistencia (tratamiento irregular y/o bajas dosis). II) Asociación medicamentosa: sus ventajas y los principales esquemas en enfermos vírgenes y en casos de resistencia a las sulfonas. III) Tratamiento de la reacción leprosa. IV) Inmunoterapia en lepra: sus objetivos, los medios más comúnmente empleados, sus riesgos y efectos colaterales

Adelantos terapéuticos en lepra / Progress in leprosy therapeutic

Se comentan los recientes aportes terapéuticos, dividiéndose el trabajo en los siguientes capítulos: I)Resistencia bacteriana a los diversos fármacos, en especial a la D.D.S. en su forma secundaria, así como la primaria. Dosis a emplear con la monoterapia. Causas de aparición de la resistencia (tratamiento irregular y/o bajas dosis). II) Asociación medicamentosa: sus ventajas y los principales esquemas en enfermos vírgenes y en casos de resistencia a las sulfonas. III) Tratamiento de la reacción leprosa. IV) Inmunoterapia en lepra: sus objetivos, los medios más comúnmente empleados, sus riesgos y efectos colaterales

Cell mediated immunity in patients with Virchowian hanseniasis before and after treatment with transfer factor.

Cell mediated immunity (CMI), bacterial index (BI), morphological index (MI), skin and lymph nodes biopsies were evaluated in 15 patients with virchowian hanseniasis before and after treatment with transfer factor (TF) obtained from human spleens. The patients were divided in 3 groups: group I (control) received only sulfone, group II received sulfone plus TF and group III received only TF. There was no difference in the numbers of peripherical T and B lymphocytes of patients and normal controls. Before the treatment with TF, there was an impaired response of the patient's peripheral lymphocytes to PHA stimulus, in the presence of autologous or homologous plasma. This depressed response was corrected after treatment with TF in the patients of group III. In none of the patients a positive Mitsuda reaction was observed before and after treatment with TF. The improvement of the MI observed in group III, treated only with TF was remarkably similar to the patients treated only with sulfone. This work points out that TF has a role in the treatment of patients with virchowian hanseniasis, based on the improvement of CMI, MI, on histopathology of skin biopsies and clinical conditions.

[A new approach to immunotherapy: the transfer factor]. / Un nuovo approccio all'immunoterapia: il transfer factor.

The transfer factor is a tiny molecule capable of transferring the function of the T lymphocytes (immunological memory and retarded hypersensitivity) from a sensitized to a non-sensitized individual. The exact structure and action modalities of the molecule have not yet been precisely established. The difficulties involved in the study of the transfer factor are aggravated by the lack of any suitable experimental model. The attention of immunologists is attracted by this factor which opens up new prospects for the treatment of cancer, immunological deficiencies and certain infectious and autoimmune diseases. More profound research would appear useful to evaluate if and in what cases a potentiation of the immune mechanism can represent an alternative to immunosuppression.

A placebo controlled clinical trial of transfer factor in lepromatous leprosy.

The effects of repeated injections of transfer factor over a period of 20 weeks were investigated in fourteen bacteriologically positive patients at the lepromatous side of the leprosy spectrum. All patients showed negative (0 mm induration) skin tests to M. leprae antigens (i.e. leprolin and lepromin). Of these patients, seven were treated with transfer factor with a total of 9 units (1 unit being equivalent to 5 x 10(8) lymphocytes) and seven with a placebo. Maintenance treatment with clofazimine was continued. Transfer factor was prepared from the lymphocytes of donors who showed positive skin tests to M. leprae antigens (i.e. leprolin greater than or equal to 12 mm induration, average 15.5 mm or lepromin greater than or equal to 8 mm induration, average 13.6 mm), as well as a positive lymphocyte transformation in vitro to M. leprae (the average transformation being higher than the average transformation of lymphocytes of tuberculoid leprosy patients). No differences were found between the two groups as regards the clinical course of the disease, the histopathological and bacteriological evaluation of skin biopsies, changes in skin test reactivity to various antigens (i.e. lepromin, leprolin, PPD, Mumps, C. albicans, Tr. rubrum and Varidase), as well as the lymphocyte transformation in vitro to various mitogens (i.e. PHA, PWM, Con A) and antigens (i.e. M. leprae, leprolin, PPD, BCG, Mumps, C. albicans, Trichophyton and Varidase). No evidence was found to suggest that transfer factor is a valuable adjuvant in the treatment of lepromatous leprosy patients or that it increases cell-mediated immune reactivity towards M. leprae.

Reversal reactions in lepromatous leprosy following transfer factor therapy.

Five patients with active leprosy, four with polar lepromatous (LL) and one with borderline lepromatous (BL) disease, were each treated with transfer factor (TF) from approximately 7.4 x 10(9) lymphocytes given in 36 divided doses over a 12-week period. The TF was prepared from blood donated by normal, healthy, lepromin skin test-positive individuals. During treatment all four of the LL patients, but not the BL patient, developed clinical reversal reactions. Histopathologically, skin biopsies in these four LL patients showed evidence of transformation of collections of multibacillary macrophages into paucibacillary epithelioid cells and giant cells. To our knowledge, this is the first histopahtologic documentation of reversal reactions occurring in polar LL. To the extent that reversal reactions are evidence of effective cell-mediated immunity of Mycobacterium leprae, these results indicate that TF is capable of at least partial correction of the immunologic deficit of lepromatous leprosy.

[Transfer factor. Properties and possible therapeutic applications (author's transl)]. / Transferfaktor. Eigenschaften und therapeutische Anwendungsmöglichkeiten

Transfer factor (TF) is a dialysable and ultrafilterable extract from human leukocytes. It contains only substances with a molecular weight of less than 10 000. Several biological activities of TF are so far known. These refer to the transfer of specific cellular immunity from one individual to another and a stimulating effect, probably of an unspecific nature, on the cellular immune system. So far, favorable therapeutic results have been obtained in chronic candidiasis and a few other chronic infectious diseases, in the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome and possibly also in some special malignant tumors. The small number of treatments does not permit any firm conclusions to be drawn.

Passive transfer of immunity into leprosy patients by transfusion of lymphocytes and by transfusion of Lawrence's transfer factor.

About 1,200 million viable lymphocytes from normal but lepromin- and tuberculin-positive human beings were transfused in four patients of lepromatous and one of tuberculoid leprosy three times at monthly intervals. Three patients of lepromatous leprosy suffered from erythema modosum, whereas the other two developed severe reaction whenever put on the smallest dose of dapsone. In one patient of lepromatous leprosy, minimal improvement or none was observed, whereas in the remaining three cases of lepromatous and one of tuberculoid leprosy, clinical, bacteriological, as well as histological improvement occurred. Two of the five patients started to tolerate the dapsone during the period of study. The present study indicates that immunotherapy might have a definite role in the management of the disease especially in cases with erythema nodosum. Lawrence factor, prepared from leucocytes of normal donors, was transfused three times into four lepromatous leprosy patients who were intolerant to anti-leprosy drugs. The donors were healthy but were tuberculin and lepromin (Mitsuda) positive. The clinical, histological, bacteriological (morphological index), and immunological assessments of the patients were performed before and 5 months after starting the immunotherapy. In two patients conversion of Mitsuda reaction occurred, but there was no appreciable improvement in the clinical, histologic, and bacteriologic status of these patients.

"Transfer factor" therapy in infectious diseases.

The world literature on transfer factor treatment in infectious diseases was examined. Even with the limits due to the incomplete knowledge of the substances, its use is worthy of further study in the field of infectious diseases.